Katana sat hunched over on a bench as the crew had landed in Afghanistan yet again. MacTavish crossed his arms as Price sat down on a nearby chair, staring out at the countryside.
"We've got one good UMP. They've got a thousand. We don't even know if Makarov's intel is any good. Price...Price?" He turned his head over to Price as Price turned around to face Katana and MacTavish.
"The healthy human mind doesn't wake up in the morning thinking this is its last day on Earth. But I think that's a luxury. Not a curse" Immediately both Katana and Soap looked at each other, "To know you're close to the end is a kind of freedom. Good time to take... inventory." Price stood up and turned to the two of them as he continued with his speech. "Outgunned. Outnumbered. Out of our minds. On a suicide mission." He pointed to the nearby ridgeline as his words flowed from his mouth. "But the sand and rocks here, stained with thousands of years of warfare... They will remember us. For this." He pointed to their weapon pile with which the group had briefly gathered up. "Because out of our vast array of nightmares, this is the one we choose for ourselves. We go forward like a breath exhaled from the Earth."
Katana and Soap both looked at each other as Price approached the two, standing less than a foot away from the two. "With vigor in our hearts and one goal in sight: We. Will. Kill him."
Soap straightened his shoulders, "I'm in."
Price turned to Katana, "Are you?"
Katana looked at Soap and then Price. "This is for the record. History is written by the victor. History is filled with liars. If he lives and we die, his truth becomes written - and ours is lost." She looked to the sky, making sure she was being recorded by satellites. "Shepherd will be a hero. 'Cause all you need to change the world is one good lie and a river of blood. He's about to complete the greatest trick a liar ever played on history. His truth will be the truth. But only if he lives, and we die."
"Then let's gather and prepare." Price motioned everyone to the table.
A few hours later, the three lay spiraled out on the desert terrain as Nikolai's voice crackled over the radio. "I'll wait for you at the exfil point. Three hours."
Price replied to Nikolai, "Don't bother. This was a one-way flight, mate."
"Then good luck my friend. Slava Bogu." The radio transmission ended.
"Move out." Price spoke as he crawled out of his desert camo liner. Soap and Katana soon followed through. "Soap, Katana, I'm picking up a thermal spike up ahead. The cave must be somewhere over the edge." Katana peaked over the edge, looking at the Shadow Company patrol behind.
"Hold up. Enemy patrol. Hold your fire. Looks like Makarov's intel was solid. This is it." She looked over to Price who nodded.
Price continued to monitor the patrol in front of him as he held out his fist slightly for the other two to see as the patrol split into their groups. "Good, they're splitting up. Let them separate. This decryption code better be worth the price we paid..." He rolled over, turning his radio onto their frequencies. Katana and Soap both followed suit.
"Go ahead, Alpha." A voice, Oxide, spoke over the radio.
"Riverbed all clear, over." Katana recognized his voice, that was Royerick.
Oxide asked again, "Bravo?"
Disciple Two responded, "Sandstorm. Not much to see right now, over."
"Zulu?"
Disciple Four all turned to look at each other, shrugging as one spoke over the radio. "Uh, we're starting our patrol east along the canyon. North-side access road, over."
"Focus on the group on the right, directly beneath us. Let's take them out first. I'll take the two on the left. On my mark." Katana aimed at the dog while Soap took the two on the right with Price aiming on the two of the left. "Three."
"Two." Katana pushed her sniper into her shoulder as she aimed down her scope. "One."
"Mark." The group opened fire on the group below with the soldiers and dog falling prey to the Task Force. Price stood up, "Just like old times." Katana slid down onto the road as did Soap. Price stopped to look at the soldier's bodies. He turned to the group, "We have to work together, group. These aren't your average muppets. No mistakes." The pair nodded to Price.
"All right, we've got to take out the other group before they come back. Move." Price pointed down the road as Katana immediately assumed position.
"I'm ready."
"I'm set." Soap added in.
"In position, take the shot." Price squeezed the trigger as did the other two. The two soldiers and dog fell silent as Price rose, moving to the rail.
"We don't have much time before they find the bodies. Let's keep moving. Here we go - hook up here." Price threw his fast rope around the railing as well as Katana and Soap.
"Disciple Four, Oxide. What's your status, over?"
The trio made sure their ropes were secure and ready as Soap and Price turned to jump off the cliff, face to the ground.
"Disciple Four, Oxide, do you copy over?"
Price turned to Soap, "Go."
"Hey, I'm not getting anything from Disciple Four, north-ridge road. Could be a bad transmitter." Oxide reported over the radio as another squad would be dispatched to find them.
Soap and Price bounded down the cliff as well as Katana who lagged a little behind. The group reached the edge of the cliff, "Got two tangos down below." Price whispered as Soap and Price both took their knives out. Price looked to Soap and nodded, "Do it." The two guards were silently taken care of as Soap and Price dropped to the ground. Katana dropped to the ground and looked up at the cave entrance.
"Two hostiles." She whispered as she raised his silenced M4.
Soap raised his silenced Vector as Price nodded to the pair with both immediately dropping the two guards at the entrance. Price dropped his right hand for everyone to move up as the trio stacked up on the entrance. Price briefly peaked inside, "Tango up ahead. Do not engage." He motioned to move to the left as the trio moved inside the entrance.
Katana spotted the large group of soldiers heading their way. "Patrol coming our way - go left, quickly!" The trio dove into a covered area as a squad of nine soldiers passed the trio.
"Butcher Seven, Oxide. We've lost contact with Disciple Five."
"Probably just the sandstorm that's rollin' in or a bad transmitter. Send a team to check it out, over."
"Roger that, Oxide. I'll send Vinson and Lambert. Butcher Seven out." The team continued to pass through the area as Katana closed her eyes and kept as silent as possible. She opened her eyes, looking around seeing a bunch of medical equipment. She blinked and looked to Soap who caught her gaze and the mental message. Angel and Snow were held here. The last man moved out of the area.
Price peaked his head out of the room, looking at the lone guard. "Take out the guard having a smoke, or wait for him to move along." Soap nodded, pulled out his knife and grabbed the guard's mouth to prevent him from making a sound and stabbed the soldier in the neck. He ripped his knife out of the soldier's throat as Price grinned. "Goodnight, let's go." He motioned down the corridor as Katana took point.
The group approached a fork in the paths, less than five meters away as a large gathering of soldiers stood in what seemed to be the common room to the right. Some were playing chess and others were talking about the previous raids and others about executing Russian mercenaries for no particular reason. Katana looked to Price who held his left hand low, "Easy now... Two tangos in this corridor. Hold your fire and stay to the left."
The trio began to move to the left as Soap raised his Vector, "We've got two tangos with taclights coming down the stairs under that red light, dead ahead."
"I'll take the one on the right. On my mark." Price said as Katana had a clear shot on both, she aimed at the right one and fired a shot, quickly snapping to the left soldier and fired another shot. Both soldiers fell to the ground, lifeless as Price turned to Katana with eyebrows raised. "Impressive, it's clear, let's move."
"Disciple Six, we've lost all contact with Disciple Five. Check it out, over."
Price turned to the group, pointing up the flight of stairs into the Steam Room. "Top of the staircase, he's mine." He turned back to the soldier, pulling his knife out as he lunged at the soldier. He grabbed the soldier's mouth and stabbed the soldier in the chest, causing the soldier to expire as he withdrew his knife. Soap and Katana lowered their weapons as the pair stared into the room.
"This will be a pain to clear." Katana blinked as their radios crackled.
"Roger that Oxide, we're on the catwalk, heading to the steam room. Standby. "
All lights within the Steam Room shut off. "Disciple Six, go dark, breach and clear."